On Monday night (Jan. 20), Ringo Starr was presented with a “Lifetime of Peace and Love Award," an honor bestowed by the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace. Talking backstage at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles, the former Beatle reminisced about the Fab Four’s 1964 debut appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.

“Incredible,” mused Starr, as reported by Rolling Stone. “It was Ed Sullivan, and it was a big show, and we didn't know while we were playing that 70 million people were watching, but it was being in America that was so exciting. All the music we loved was in America; it came from America to England. Where we come from, Liverpool, it was great because it was a port, so all of the guys from New York would bring the tracks over. Vinyl in those days, the LPs, and it was just great. I could feel the buzz, even on the plane, it was so exciting.”

Starr was also asked if he recalled The Beatles’ “Best New Artist” Grammy win that same year. “No,” he responded. “I remember they had them in Nashville once, and Harry Nilsson and I went up. The Beatles had won, like, 19 Grammys. They brought them on a tray. There were so many Grammys, it was hard to lift.”